THE RELATED ART
Many attempts have been made to formulate good quality pourable salad dressings. In particular there is a need for pourable products with a good appearance and physical characteristics at all fat levels from 50 wt % down to zero fat products. High fat two-phase dressings (25 to 50 wt %) have aqueous phases which normally do not suspend herbs, vegetables and spice pieces. Current dressings commonly employ xanthan to keep pieces of herbs, vegetables and spices suspended, but use of xanthan at levels high enough to be effective results in a viscosity which is undesirably increased over full fat or home-made products. Use of xanthan also results in poor surface coating properties and in a slimy mouthfeel. At higher levels xanthan produces higher viscosities but also undesirable gel like pituitous properties such as those referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 4, 129,663. Therefore the drastic reduction, and preferably the complete removal of xanthan from pourable salad dressings is desired.
Heretofore, preparations of pourable salad dressings have usually allowed relatively high levels of xanthan and have not been completely satisfactory.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to overcome one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention delivers pourable dressings which are free of an effective amount of xanthan. These dressings have improved rheology, stability, surface coating properties and mouthfeel when compared with fat free/low fat and xanthan containing dressings of the prior art as well as the traditional two-phase oil and vinegar dressings.